#bc they are the ones i'd pretty much rewrite the whole character

[efloarchive]

still trying to decide if i'd add canon characters or not to my multi (yes it is happening)

[p0rk-guts]

"Pork you literally posted Charlie a few days ago why are you so Hazbin obsessed rn-" ssshhhhshhsshhs.h........ anyway

VAGGIE REDESIGN! And I changed her name also bc I'm jus like everyone else fr. Meet Verbena :)

BREAKDOWN BELOW!👇🏾+ Exorcist uniform redesign :3

Starting with her name this time. Back when she was still a sinner apparently she was Salvadorian and since she's (apparently?) not a former human at all I decided to take a small creative liberty with her decent and made her Venezualan instead. SOUTH AMERICUH❗❗✊🏾 I'm pretty sure Verbena flowers are native to South America so that's where the name comes from.

Onto the design! I don't have much to say abt her design honestly. It's not egregious, but it doesn't really speak to me either. It looks like simple formal wear or uniform with some strange meaningless accessories attached. And those weird itty bitty shoes that look like they're part of her thigh highs... I'm starting to think all the characters's shoes were a last minute afterthought. All and all it tells us nothing about her character. The hair wings are cool tho so I did steal those

Also the whole deal with her eye is strange to me. Why Is the floating X there??? It's a real physical part of the world, other people can see it. Do pink X's always float over angel wounds? If her arm got chopped off would an X float over it? Was it like. A fucking curse visual placed by Lute as a constant reminder of her disloyalty? Why did Carmilla point out it was an obvious marker for her being an angel???? My brain can't fathom why it's canonically attached to her wound. If she was a sinner I'd kinda understand but. Yeah idk. Weird

Also her missing eye does not look like an empty socket it looks like a purple circle was sticker pasted on to her face. It's very flat. How did we go from this

to this

(IT'S EVEN OVERLAPPING ONTO HER NOSE IN THIS SCREENSHOT WHAT IS THAT THING.)

Anyway. I made her hair resemble Polyphemus moth wings because 1. They have eye looking spots and angels are all eyes and 2. Well. Polyphemus has 1 eye. So . 💀

Her overall coloring however is inspired by a Promethea moth. I could say it's because Prometheus defied the gods and Verbena did a similar thing but the real reason is I made a spelling error while initially looking for a Polyphemus moth reference 💀 but hey they both have eye spots! And Iike their coloring for her way better

I also redesigned the exorcist uniform for her redesign bc I wanted her outfit to have reminiscent elements from it.

I gave way less time to the uniform designs, but I still had some main details I wanted to adress. I don't like how they have no armor save for their helmets. Their arm and leg pieces are made of some flexible material that tears easily. It's not giving soldier it's giving soldier costume from party city. The devil like horns are also confusing to see on an angel and the paradoxical design is never addressed. They can be evil and look imposing, but the horns just seem kinda nonsensically on the nose to show how evil they are. At least to me.

In my designs I gave them actual metal armor on their bodies so you can easily tell they're soldiers and it makes sense for them to battle in armor anyway. I also gave them more light "angelic" colors with gold details bc I wanna use gold as a symbol of angelic nature in my rewrite. I wanted their masks to show completely static expressions with wide grins to show how unnerving they are and to allude to the idea that everyone is happy in heaven, and they're all happy to do what they do.

Verbena's belt and shoulder pads draw visual similarities to the pauldrons and mid section pieces in my new exorcist uniforms to draw a connection between her and her past. The Blazer draping behind her back is also supposed to mimic the visual of folded wings. I also tried to do this with all the gold details in her design. The big hoops and belt we're 80's inspired because I decided to follow how in one of her old designs she died in the 60's (even had the big hoops and everything). In my rewrite exorcists are all former humans but I'll get into that later. Also she's got an eye patch now! Just. A normal one.

Charlie is still taller than Verbena just like in the original and idk how tall Vaggie Is exactly but Verbena is like 5'5 while Charlie is 5'11. Verbena's also got more muscle on her bc unless their muscle mass is hidden magically or they don't gain muscle for stupid dumb idiot lore reasons all the exorcists look way too slim to be military grade soldiers but what do I know

I combined a lot of pointy shapes with boxy shapes bc— more similarly to her pilot self— she can be volatile and fierce but also grounded and impassive. I added the slits to her skirt so she can be a sexy formal lady who can still comfortably throw a few kicks, and the heels— well. Idk I feel like she could slay in heels! She definitely doesn't wear em all the time but yeah. Chunky heels. I like them they're cute. Also she's got her little name tag on bc she takes Charlie's job for her SERIOUSLY! she's uh. Idk what is she. A bellhop? General security/protection? Either way she's locked in.

I imagine she had white irises like Adam and Lute along with brighter more saturated and heavenly colors in her hair (color picked from the Polyphemus moth) that turned darker and more harsh after the fall (color picked from the Promethea moth). Really visualizing her emo phase /j

Also I think the little eyes in her hair can emote with her. In the final design the line kinda makes an eyelid and it'd match her eyelid's movements. Sillay

Alright that's a wrap on my Vaggie redesign! No bonus sketches this time bc they're within the texts! Who knows what I'll do next. Who I will deface. I sure don't. I think I might rename Charlie so there's that. Anywhozies hope you like her <3

[dexdia]

Highly considering doing a Seven Deadly Sins rewrite myself bc man there's so much missed potential and honestly a lot of things that don't make sense or haven't been gone over enough-

My biggest gripe being the Goddess race, we barely know anything about them, the archangels were said to be oh-so-strong but 3 of them died not to long after being introduced- And my biggest gripe is that the author definitely pulled that "Bloody Ellie" thing out of his ass during the fight with Demon King Zeldris.

Like man, even the Demon race feels so lacklustre..

Oh! And don't get me started on Chaos!! Especially since its literally the entity that gets put into Arthur who's the main antagonist and villain of the sequel series!!!

Like, I'm pretty sure we don't know about chaos until it's actually revealed,,

Like in my mind, if I was to add/redo things- One of the things I'd do is make the Supreme Deity into a religious figure, being praised as the "Benevolent Goddess" among humans, setting up basically a religion- And maybe this could stem into the magic, such as human believing that the magic they hold was a blessing of the Supreme Deity.

And maybe also set up a clearer hierarchy system among the Goddess and Demon race.

I just want the Goddess race and Supreme Deity herself to play a bigger role cause man I don't really like how she was defeated within like the final 20 minutes of that one film.

Because I think it'd be so interesting to have humans actively worshiping the Goddess race, specifically dedicated to the Supreme Deity and the archangels.

Also, I'd have Chaos introduced a lot earlier- who knows, maybe I could throw in like a group that are worshippers of Chaos.

Tbh I'm just spit balling but it's mostly bc I'm so frustrated at simply how bad the author is at writing- Cause I feel like a lot of the time, he throws in ideas just because he thinks it's cool and doesn't elaborate and explore said ideas.

As I mentioned earlier, the whole "Bloody Ellie" thing ( a character who was established a pacifist in the Gloxinia + Drole flashbacks thing) as well the thing with Helbram where he talked about how fairies were captured and had their wings torn out (I believe we never hear anything about it again after Helbram tells us it), honestly many things.

Also, I just thought of another thing I'd change- Instead of having Derieri, Tarmiel and Sariel die useless deaths, I feel like we could've had Ludociel fight Esta/Mael when the Mael reveal happened bc I feel that would've been so much more impactful-

Because imagine, Ludociel finally fights the person who he thought "killed" his brother and before he goes for the finishing blow, the spell corrodes away and Ludociel is left with the shock and horror that he nearly killed his own brother.

And one more thing or else I'll be ranting forever, have Meliodas' and Elizabeth's relationship questioned and have them actually have to go through challenges

Have people question as to whether or not it was their relationship that trigger started the holy war, have other characters question the way he acts towards current Elizabeth, have Elizabeth have questions herself and wonder if the war was worth it- Let them have arguments!!

I think the only one they technically had was when Elizabeth wanted to rejoin the adventure at the start of season 2 if my memory serves me right.

But yeah.

It's just those little tweaks and add-ins that really begin to flesh it out to its potential, imo.

Anyway, rant over before I continue ranting up to 30k+ words more.

[4ggravation]

sumeru boys redesigns + notes

as you may know, i redesigned the sumeru boys a few weeks ago because, as much as i love them to bits, their designs are well. not that great in some areas. also because i wanted to draw them more often without the roadblock of their designs being so complicated. i've mainly been drawing my cyno and tighnari redesigns, but i did also do alhaitham and kaveh, so i thought that i'd show off these redesigns in one post, along with some notes on why i made certain decisions. hope you enjoy!

(pre-note: just so no one gets confused, i also renamed everyone when i did my redesigns, giving tighnari and alhaitham first names and cyno and kaveh last names.)

tighnari ❀

(renamed abdullah al-tighnari; tighnari was made his surname because that was the case for the real guy he was based on)

i went into this thinking "how can i make this design more appealing to me while still retaining what the original design meant?". since tighnari is one of my favorites in the game overall, i put a lot of pressure on myself to make a decent design.

a lot of tighnari's design inspiration comes from moroccan (specifically amazigh) culture, which i kept in my mind through most of the drawing. this inspiration shows in his bead necklace (i forget the name), his belt, and his earring, which i remade to mirror the shape of moroccan headpieces.

gave him some muscles because there's no way a guy with his job wouldn't have them. also a bottom-heavy fat distribution for self-indulgent purposes.

the design has less layers and lighter/flowier clothes because of tighnari's canon sensitivity to heat. if you're living in the rainforest (a famously humid biome), you probably wouldn't be wearing what canon tighnari does, heat sensitivity or not.

gave him some traits that are popular headcanons, such as the flower thigh tattoo, the sharp teeth, the scars, the claw-like nails (with the middle and ring nails filed down for No Reason), and the lichtenberg figure. also gave him tan skin and wavy hair because i Cannot deal with canon nari looking like that.

sturdy shoes! archery gloves! his vision on his belt! quality of life features that an actual forest ranger would have!

i will admit that the slit pants, the shorts, and the tights were all for self-indulgence reasons, but i think they go together well with the rest of the outfit too.

a braid in his hair for cynari marriage purposes. (i hc that in sumeru, marriages are consummated by braiding each other's hair)

kaveh ❂

(renamed kaveh laghmani; surname is of iranian origin, but i forgot the meaning)

another real quick note: if i change a character's pronouns in their rewrite, i'll be using those pronouns in their notes. here, kaveh goes by he/she pronouns (she just like me fr).

his canon design is actually my favorite of the sumeru boys, so this redesign was more of a simplification while still keeping the original color scheme and such.

from my research, kaveh's mainly inspired by persian/iranian culture. this is what i had in mind with her shirt and her jacket... shawl... thing. idk what to call it.

kept him a skinny twink; imo, her being a twink in canon fits pretty well.

emphasized the bird of paradise motif with the thing on her side looking like feathers. you will see this again with alhaitham.

made him brunet for more cohesion with the color palette, also because i don't like the whole blonde-fading-to-brown situation he has going on in his canon design.

flowers!!! also giving him a pretty headpiece bc this guy is flashy. also also keeping the feather, it's cunty and fun.

i wanted to make kaveh obviously gnc/genderqueer without going into full-on feminine outfit territory. you can tell she's not quite cis but it's not super in your face yk?

made his vision one of his earrings like yae miko because i forgot to give it a proper place in my concept drawings lmao

quality of life feature: actual artist gloves that aren't cut off. seriously, them being fingerless in the canon design completely negates the point of artist gloves.

removed his braids because of the aforementioned marriage headcanon.

alhaitham ⚘

(renamed amir al-haytham; i wanted to give him the most basic name possible, though i fought with myself a lot on whether to write it as al-haitham or al-haytham)

my god i despise his canon design. it's so... not him. my goal with a redesign was just to give him an outfit that made sense for his character because jesus his canon design is an atrocity.

alhaitham is mainly inspired by either saudi arabian or general west asian culture (like what's constant and such). i was mainly inspired by casual saudi arabian menswear when i was designing him.

hot take but i don't like alhaitham being buff in canon. i made him chubby/fat in my redesign mainly for self-indulgent reasons, but also because it makes more sense to me. also gave him facial hair because yes

kept his color scheme mostly the same, along with the eye motif. emphasized the eagle motif slightly with the feather hip piece (see: kaveh's redesign).

gave him a headscarf (not a hijab or anything like that, just a regular headscarf) because he felt like the type, plus i got the design idea for it and went "well i can't not include it now".

wanted to give him the vibes of an npc who was forced to be a main character

no he isn't wearing his vision anywhere, he doesn't carry it around in my rewrite.

quality of life features: more sensible, looser clothes that are easier to live in- really the whole design is meant to be a quality of life improvement first and foremost

cyno ⚡︎

(renamed cyno al-sahrawi; surname meaning is "of the sahara" or more generally, "of the desert")

like kaveh, i'm gonna be using he/they pronouns for cyno here because that's what i put in my rewrite.

in my opinion, cyno's design is relatively solid, but with a few glaring flaws that kinda ruin everything for me. i'll bring them up as these notes go on.

they're very obviously inspired by ancient egyptian culture, specifically anubis. like, it's very blatant. with my redesign, i wanted to keep those inspirations in mind while making the outfit less stereotypical and make more sense.

why does this man, who's said to fight a lot, not wear a shirt? why are you letting the place where most of your vital organs reside breathe freely? also, why does this guy not have scars?

simplified a bunch of patterns, especially below the belt and with his headpiece. also made their helmet(?) a darker, more saturated purple to attract your eyes' attention to it.

gave him eye of horus makeup for a little cultural nod

the black piece in the back was made to look like a tail to further the jackal thing.

curly hair that resembles lightning bolts <3

the shoes were inspired by traditional egyptian footwear, because if this guy is out in the desert all the time, i'm not letting him go without some kind of foot protection.

quality of life features: a bit of armor on his arm (partially for aesthetic purposes), less flowy bits on his helmet and hips to prevent distraction or getting caught on things, the aforementioned shoes

added braids for cynari purposes, because i'm me.

hope you enjoyed reading this! please keep in mind that this is all off the top of my head and doesn't even go into color theory, how the designs mirror each other, and other smaller things like that. i might make a part 2 someday going into those things, but who knows with my memory lmao

reblogs are heavily appreciated!

[butchdykekondraki]

I’m not well versed in SCP community drama at all, but I AM curious, so if you don’t mind; what’s up with Dr. Bright’s Whole Existence?

oh boy okay. bright is/was a very vocal part of scp lore, being featured in countless tales and scps alike, eventually having his own little list of sorts entitled "the things dr bright is not allowed to do". the character itself, dubbed jack bright (or just character bright), is most notable for being the most recognizable character besides a couple others (clef, kondraki, etc) that people saw from the scp fandom. he had his own little cult-like following in and of himself that was almost separate from the main-line scp fandom as a whole. eventually his creator, admin bright, was outed for being an abuser who used their influence over their cult-like following to solicit nudes and etc from primarily minors or people who were freshly 18, mostly using their power as a scp wikidot mod(? iirc) to get those things in exchange for site access (? again, iirc. the entire admin bright ordeal was poorly documented in the beginning and after more stuff came out it only got more poorly documented). after this (almost) everyone collectively decided to ignore and/or get rid of character bright, who was later replaced with elias shaw. eventually, in a now hated on move, djkaktus, a former(?????) wikidot mod completely wiped "the things dr bright is not allowed to do" off of the wikidot in an effort to scrub jacks existence away. all in all, it was an entire shitshow and everyone has pretty much collectively decided to move away from any mention of jack bright and instead most people have rewrites of 963/bright (<- elias shaw being the more popular one on the main-site, but others like dr myriad (created by mattastr0phic) are fairly popular in their own rights off-site. commonly you'll just see shaw, but i'd be remiss not to mention myriad bc she's a pretty big staple in the 963 rewrite community)

[themyscirah]

Jess? Or Hal? For the ask game (And if you've done both of them, just pick your favorite super)

I haven't done either yet! I'll do Hal in this post and maybe Jess in another after this

Tw for canonical past suicide for later in the post (skip the story idea section)

First impression:

My real first encounter with him was probably as a guest appearance within Green Lanterns, but the first book I read with him was GL/GA. I don't remember too much of what I thought of him there, it was probably more of a general "oh he seems cool I guess" kind of neutral/positive attitude. By the time I read a Hal comic I'd already met Simon, Jess, and Jo so he wasn't a contender for the spot of my favorite lantern. I never fully finished GL/GA though bc I had the book on loan

Impression now:

Mixed. There are some Hal moments I genuinely do love and like, but tbh he can get on my nerves very easily. Of the Earth lanterns he's either my least or next to least favorite (which doesn't mean I don't like him!) but he's also like the "main character" of GL so I get annoyed when I feel like other GLs are being ignored in favor of Hal.

Favorite moment:

With that said there are sooooooo many Hal moments I just love. He's very much a character made by specific moments for me (rather than a general appreciation of who he is overall). Some Swishy fave contenders include his "Avenge me" internal monologue when he fights Mongul in GL (1990) #46, and OFC the Emerald Twilight arc a few issues later. Also in the very first issue of that book, where he jumps off a cliff in front of some campers (waiting until the last moment before using his ring) was an important moment for me in reading Hal, because it was the first time I went "oh! This guy is crazy!"

Idea for a story:

An exploration of the fact that Hal literally killed himself on panel in GL (2011) #19. Because like what the hell, why did this happen and then NO ONE EVER TALKED ABOUT IT. (This is insane to me). I think I'd probably revisit it in a dream sequence, maaaybe doing a rewrite/reimagining of his Knight Terrors issue (which I have NOT read lol) to kind of address that and talk about his mental state and things that had an impact on that, stuff like his parents, the Guardians, PARALLAX. Basically it'd be Hal and the ghost of Tomar-Re just talking about how he is not okay. A pretty heavy response to a pretty heavy topic.

Unpopular opinion:

I'm going to be so real here like 95% of my Hal opinions are unpopular bc its just me talking about how I think he's overrated. Like we're bros ig but still. Overrated.

Like I LIKE him but I'm annoyed at him like 80% of the time bc DC is always putting out a mid story focusing on him while ignoring my faves WHO ARE SO COOL AND DESERVE STORIES 😤💔😭

I guess one beyond that is I'm not a fan of his friendship with Barry. Maybe this is just because I haven't read anything where they're like... interesting? But I just don't get the hype. ESPECIALLY compared to his relationship with Oliver which is absolutely insane in comparison. Like why are we talking abt Barry rn when OLLIE LITERALLY SHOT HAL AND HAL RESSURECTED OLLIE. like guys. Guys. Are you seeing this shit.

Favorite relationship:

Like ship wise? I'm not a huge Halcarol fan personally but I do think they're kind of the epitome of "you're perfect for each other. Never involve anyone else in what you have going on," kind of messy drama-filled relationship with a lot of history.

I also really like halollie and their relationship but not in like a "they should date" way or anything like that. Like they're bros to me who emotionally have a whole complicated little thing going on like idk

Within the lanterns I think the frenemy whatever thing Guy and Hal do is SO funny. I love especially the beginning of GL (1990) where Guy just in his free time shows up to ruin Hal's life while Hal is just so sick and done and mad about it. Peak comedy, Guy never change

Fave headcanon:

Do I have any headcanons about Hal? Not really. I try to think about him as little as possible (kidding). No um I'd say I don't really have any, and if I did they'd probably be really basic or smth like that he cries watching both Top Gun movies.

[wikiangela]

20 Questions for fic Writers!

tagged by @spotsandsocks @jesuisici33 thank you 💖💖

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

81 so far, and always working on more haha

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

481,097

3. What fandoms do you write for?

currently only 911, but I did write mcu and spn and if inspiration strikes might go back (kinda missing sambucky tbh, might need to write something for them soon haha)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

(four out of these are buddie, last one is my first ever sambucky fic that's still somehow up there lol) 1. For a holiday (and forevermore) 2. I can't love you any more (than I do now) 3. There’s no way that it’s not going there (with the way that we’re looking at each other) 4. I'd marry you with paper rings 5. "You should smile more"

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do! always love to thank everyone for reading, and appreciate that they took the time to comment <3

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

generally angst is not particularly my thing, and there are always happy endings in mine lol - but around the lightning arc I wrote a few angsty-ish fics, and I guess these two might count? Fine and don't know what I'd do if your tomorrow never came

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

like all of them have happy endings haha - but i'd say the holiday fic -For a holiday (and forevermore) - might be the happiest?? (or just satisfying after the slow burn and them being fake dating oblivious idiots haha)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

not really, I did get like two not so nice comments ever (one even very recently, and I'm in a place where it hit harder than the previous one lol but it's fine) but generally I don't, my comments are filled with love and I appreciate that so much <3

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do now lmao - it's the very sappy kind with lots of feelings - other than that, I'm still trying out new stuff haha

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I don't - there's one that I'm not sure if it counts but I did write a mcu with netflix marvel shows crossover bc I'm dying to see Jessica Jones interact with Bucky lol - nothing crazy tho, just them lowkey trauma bonding - but other than that, no, not really writing crossovers, idk, haven't tried any yet haha

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

don't think so

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

nope

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

got two requests but their ideas were so not my thing, so no, I haven't idk if i'd be good at co-writing but if we vibe and the idea is good I won't say no to trying haha

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

gotta say buddie, they took over my brain like no ship ever before

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

the 5+1 nicknames fic - something there is just not working and I want to rewrite the whole thing but can't get around to it - this and one other fic have been postponed since like january, don't know if I'll get back to them tho i want to :(

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm pretty good with dialogue and feelings and in smut I'm good at making it soft and sweet but also hot and horny at the same time haha and usually can write characters so that they don't feel too ooc (I think? that's the feedback i often get, idk lol)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

overusing the same words over and over again (but like, synonyms don't hit the same lol), probably way too many adverbs, and I'm not great with descriptions of characters or places etc and trying to work on that haha

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

feels awkward - a word here and there is fine, but whole conversations both in reading and writing feels awkward and out of place idk (I think I wrote a whole line in one fic and it's so bad haha)

19. First fandom you wrote for?

when it comes to shows, spn - destiel before that, unfortunately, was rpf and 1d but we don't talk about that

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

it's between the possessive smut and the car smut tbh lol I love both so much (possessive maybe a bit more tho? just a tiny bit haha - but gonna link both here lol)

I could get lost in the feelings (just say that you belong to me)

baby, you drive me wild

___

no pressure tagging: @honestlydarkprincess @eddiebabygirldiaz @giddyupbuck @callaplums @forthewolves @eddiediaztho @arthursdent @911onabc @housewifebuck @loserdiaz @lover-of-mine @hoodie-buck @thewolvesof1998 @fortheloveofbuddie @watchyourbuck @disasterbuckdiaz @wildlife4life @hippolotamus and whoever else wants to do it <3

[merlyn-bane]

Fic Writer 20 Questions

Thanks for the tag, @frostbitebakery !!🥰🥰🥰

1.) How many works do you have on ao3

35, but that also includes some of pyro's that I'm listed as co on because I helped with so much of the plotting out and behind the scenes stuff

2.) What's your ao3 word count?

336,631

3.) What fandoms do you write for?

Right now primarily Star Wars bc that's where my brainrot is, but I've been known to play around in a few other sandboxes. There are a few Star Trek fics on my AO3 as well, and there's a multifandom xreader sideblog floating around somewhere that I am not going to tag because I consider it a Different Era and not reflective of the work I'm doing now. Even though I'm STILL getting notes on a Wolverine smut fic I posted all the way back in 2018.

4.) What are your top five fics by kudos?

Foelu

SubObi Week Day Five

SubObi Week Day One

SubObi Week Day Four

SubObi Week Day Six

(Foelu is leading by A Margin in basically everything but hits now, it's insane)

5.) Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to! And I'm usually pretty good at it. Sometimes I'm really not sure what to say and sometimes I get kind of overwhelmed so not always, but I do try. I'm super behind on Foelu atm bc you all continue to just blow me away with the support on that one, but I promise I'm planning to sit down and try to get caught up soon.

6.) What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Angsty endings aren't super my thing, to be honest. Most of the things I've actually finished have happy endings, just because that's my personal preference. Most of my angst is in the middle, and I'd say probably the angstiest fic I have (at least right now) is Traveling Song. Ari has...been through it. It used to be a whole lot worse before the first rewrite happened though.

7.) What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Idk, maybe the Obi-Wan Omegaverse series I did for SubObi Week?

8.) Do you get hate on fics?

Not yet, here's to hoping that doesn't change anytime soon.

9.) Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Oh, yes. All sorts of it 😈😈

10.) Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Crossovers have never super been my thing, so no, not really.

11.) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that know of, again, hoping it stays that way.

12.) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not yet, I think, but I have had one or two podfic'ed!

13.) Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

I'm listed as a co-author on @pyromanicdaydreamer 's The Moments In Between since I helped with so much of the development for it (what can I say, I'm an ideas guy if I'm anything), but I've never really co-written anything, as far as the actual words and stuff.

14.) What's your all time favorite ship?

I'm mentally ill about Codywan in a way I've never really been before or since, to be honest. They're my special little guys. Also, though, Octavious and Jedidiah from Night At The Museum, Obviously.

15.) What's a WIP you'd like to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Oh, so many.

16.) What are your writing strengths?

I think the most consistent feedback I've gotten is that my character work and humor are good, which does just make me feel real nice because characterization is something I worry about.

17.) What are your writing weaknesses?

I am a total slave to the muse, my WIP graveyard is sprawling. I do think I could stand to be a little more descriptive at times, and I'm never going to claim that an English teacher wouldn't cry at some of my grammar. I'm a lot more concerned with how things sound than if they're technically correct.

18.) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

It's one of those things that's dependent on the characters, but when appropriate I do think it can add more depth. It also just makes sense for some characters--for example, you can be on either side of the clones-being-Mandalorian debate, but picking up another language from the trainers that the Kaminoans and likely their future generals don't know could only be in their best interest strategically.

19.) First fandom you wrote for?

Marvel I think. Pyro and I wrote a bunch of OC stuff in the 2012 era, and I think one of my very first ones was a Thor x OC that might even still be on ff.net.

20.) Favorite fic you've ever written?

Oh fuck. Uh. C'mon, man, this is like asking me to choose a favorite child. Shit. Um. I don't know if it's my favorite, but They Told Me I Couldn't Bag A Jedi was a lot of fucking fun to work on.

I think I'm gonna tag @ferretrade @goddammitjim @shootingstarpilot @bluemaskedkarma @brigittttoo

[rollercoasterwords]

hi rae!! i was wondering if you could tell us more about your writing process :)) im very curious about it. like, do you brainstorm then write or write whatever flows or both. do you painstakingly line edit after or just give it a glance for any mistakes. im mostly curious about atydsp bc its so exceptionally well written and it absolutely boggles my mind that you were posting a ch a day. how much of your time for atydsp involved editing/scrapping & rewriting/etc? xx

hi sure i'd be happy to!! gonna put this under a cut tho bc it got long lol

for atydsp (+ my captive prince rewrite) my process was pretty different from my other writing in that i basically descended into a feverish haze of obsession and literally abandoned all other hobbies just to write bc i loved the story so much lol. for atydsp especially that thing was like...my only hobby for half a year like i was not reading or watching tv or movies or playing video games etc bc the only thing i wanted 2 do in my free time was. write.

when i'm rewriting a story from another character's pov i usually have the ch of whatever i'm rewriting open next to word doc and just kinda go 2 town. i think it's much easier when you aren't having to do the heavy lifting when it comes to plot and are following an outline, bc obviously you aren't having to do much story planning urself--although for the later chs of atydsp where i sort of broke off from the og version + the chs where r + s are separated + i had to write new scenes for s i did have to spend more time planning, writing, editing, etc, but i didn't start posting the story until i'd already written the first 20 chs so. i had a pretty large buffer and that combined with the obsession combined with the shorter chapters + outline to follow is why i was able to post so frequently.

when i'm writing a new fic there's much more brainstorming involved bc obviously i am having 2 come up w a whole new plot!! but bc i'm only writing fic for fun i don't really take it too seriously and usually i just cobble together a couple of fun scenes or tropes that i like and then sort of...fill in the blanks? like if i'm like "ok i want to write a scene where x happens and then later a scene where y happens" i usually end up figuring out a plot/how to keep the story moving between those two scenes, rather than vice versa (having like...a coherent plot and then coming up with fun scenes that fit into it). like my current wip started as just a single idea of "ooh what if there was a werewolf fighting ring" and then it become a voldemort-won au bc i was like hmmm in what situation would r + s meet at a werewolf fighting ring...and then i decided it would eventually turn into a horcrux hunt bc i was like "ok if r + s grew up in a voldemort-won au...what would james be doing...." and now the story is continuing to change as i continue to have ideas of like "ooh what if i incorporated this trope" or "ooh this would be such a fun scene to write." like lily + james's entire dynamic in this fic basically grew out of an idea that i had for a single argument that i wanted to write lmao

anyway when it comes to actual writing process i usually go into a ch with just a vague outline of a few bullet points, and if i'm stuck on something i send a voicenote to my sister just like...talking through my thoughts + what i want to happen + usually by the end of the voicenote i'll have figured out what direction i wanna take things. or sometimes i'll ask her opinion (the ending i'm planning rn for atwmd changed completely after one such consultation...had an idea but then talked myself out of it but then my twin was like wait....i think that idea works better than what ur currently planning....and i was like damn maybe ur right....). so most of my planning + brainstorming is basically just me daydreaming + then talking 2 myself lmao.

when it comes to actual writing i'm pretty slow because i'm too much of a perfectionist and i need everything to sound right. immediately. like i have heard the advice so many times "just get something down on the page then go back and edit it later" but i am like. incapable of following it lol i will write a sentence and then read over it three times to decide if i like it before i move on. the plus side to this is that my chs usually need very little editing; i generally just read over them once or twice and make a few minor tweaks and i'm good to go!

anyway. i have had some similar inquiries abt my writing process etc in the past so i'll tag this ask w 'writing tips' bc i think that's what i've used b4; hopefully this satisfied ur curiosity!

[gay-flyboys]

Weekend WIP Game

Rules: List your WIPs below (if you only write one fic at a time, feel free to include future WIPs/ideas!) then answer the following questions. Then, tag as many people as you have WIPs (or more).

Thanks to @happiness-of-the-pursuit for the tag!

1. WIP List:

True Colors Shine in Darkness and in Secrecy

Flower Soulmate Au

Rust (in editing)

(Not) Threesome

Coach Alex

Diabetic Alex Au

2. Which of your WIPs is currently the longest?

True Colors! I have about 33k posted and 1.6k written for the next chapter, but it's not even halfway done. Of just drafts/unposted, Rust, sitting pretty at 16k words for a one-shot.

3. Which WIP do you expect will end up the longest?

True Colors, easy. I'm expecting it to end somewhere around 80-90k with the rate I'm currently going at. But, Rust is part of a bigger series, and I have no idea how long that will run.

4. Which WIP is your favourite to write/the most enjoyable to write? Why?

I haven't started yet bc I'm saving it for nanowrimo but the (not) Threesome fic is fully outlined and is calling out to me literally every day.

5. Which WIP do you find the most intimidating to write? Why?

Not intimidating but writing Flower Soulmates has been. Challenging. I want so desperately for everything to make sense and flow and it's probably the most serious, and it's going to be a lot bigger than I initially intended for it to be. That is a little overwhelming sometimes so it's been sitting for a while.

6. Which WIP do you experience the most self-doubt about. Why?

Uhhh all of them? I don’t tend to trust myself or like my fics until like a week after their posted tbh

7. Which of your WIPs will you seek out a beta/sensitivity reader for? Why?

I have a few on Rust just bc of the sheer length of it. I'd prob at least get a consultant for the Coach au bc it's in a spot I don't know much about (NYC + Law school heavy) so I want to make sure I'm not offending everyone on the east coast. Also Flower Soulmate is so special to me that I'm going to want someone to pick it apart with a fine-toothed comb.

8. Have any of your WIPs been struck by the curse of writer's block?

TRUE COLORS I'm so sorry everyone who follows it. Something about the chapter I'm on being the most uhhhh lined out for me without much wiggle room killed my creativity. Also the flower soulmate au for a bit. Again, it follows canon so like. Sticking to the word of the book is a little boring

9. Which WIP has your favourite OC? Tell us about them?

The only named OC is currently in (Not) Threesome. He's been my baby since I was 16 (so 6 years now). He started off as a SPN OC literally so I could write a silly little one-off about him helping Dean figure out he's bi, and now he just vibes and I love him. His name is Dio and he's a WHORE (affectionate).

10. Which WIP is the sexiest?

True Colors. Literally a rewrite of all the RWRB sex scenes. It's literally nothing BUT sex.

11. Which WIP is the angstiest?

Probably Flower Soulmates. The whole concept revolves around soulmate injuries, and while nothing non-canon happens to the boys, it does follow canon typical angst. Basically none of the others do that. They're pretty fluffy or sexy and that's it.

12. Which WIP has the best characterisation (in your humble opinion)?

I have to say True Colors only because I'm reeeallllyyyyyy trying to keep the characters book accurate. It's an expansion of the book, so I've been paying close attention to how they talk and act and making sure they're as close as I can get.

13. Which WIP has the best scene setting (in your humble opinion)?

None of them have a particularly fun setting lol, I'm not much off a world builder. I think that Rust and it's following fics are going to be really fun, though.

14. Which WIP have you worked the hardest on?

True Colors literally only on the basis of how long it already is and how long it will be.

15. Which WIP do you have the highest expectations for? Why?

True Colors and Flower Soulmates. True Colors bc it's my most watched and I keep comparing it to the books. Flower Soulmate because of everything I've explained above.

16. Do you dream about any of your WIPs?

I don't remember any of my dreams so maybe! Couldn't tell ya.

17. Do any of your WIPs have particular complexities that your other fics don't?

Flowers is just heavier than the rest, True Colors I feel needs to be correct to the book. Diabetic au I feel good about bc it's personal experience but having to deal with medical accuracies and also another version where Alex has a service dog and all that shit entails.

18. Which WIP is the funniest or has the most humour?

I think Rust is generally pretty funny and I think the Coach au is going to be fun when I get to it

19. Do any of your WIPs contain outside POVs or a deep dive on a character other than the main ship? How are you finding that process?

Not especially? (Not) Threesome does feature an OC of mine who we learn a bit about but it's still from a familiar POV, so like. Doesn't count.

20. Tell us one thing we don't know about one or more of your WIPs.

Diabetic Alex au has two major, distinct parts. There's a 5+1 of mundane diabetic bullshit bc I felt like the only diabetic RWRB fics glamorized and made diabetes this massive fucking thing when it's not. The other is a rewrite featuring Peter, Alex's diabetic alert dog and how that changes everything from the get go (Philip is a fuckwad, spoilers). Also that this whole idea was how @inexplicablymine and I became friends

I don't think I have enough ppl to tag tbh but @affectionatelyrs @inexplicablymine @user-anakin @hypnostheory @read-and-write- and anyone else who wants to <3

[thedeadflag]

Do you think there's a way to actually correctly write an in denial, trans woman, who pretends to be okay with 'being a guy'? Like, I wrote an in the closet trans woman before, who knows who she was and hid it from the world (outside transphobia) before, but wondering if you think the issue of hiding it from yourself (internal transphobia/denial) can be done in a non-harmful way?

I'm trans (ftm) myself and talked myself out of it for a long time, so I assume it could be the same on the other side?

I'm just wondering if you can foresee any pitfalls one might fall into that would be transphobic or fetishize trans women?

I write trans women in my fic bc I want to write something in contrast to all of the g!p that claims rep, and put something better into the fandom. (I think I did a good job, thanks to your help before. Thank you so much).

Do I think it's a feasible concept? Sure, yeah, it's doable. I'd trust trans woman authors to do that, since it'd need to draw on transmisogyny and experiences of transfemininity pretty deeply. Like, even with those who only realized and came out later in their lives, there's pretty much always things they noticed retroactively that were particularly telling and explained/illuminated sources of discomfort and disparity that they'd generalized and made efforts to ignore/move past. And for those who know they're trans but are fighting that truth, and/or are just deep in the closet and struggling with not knowing when or if it'll be safe to be themselves (and therefore need to fight to present as a boy/man), that's a complicated experience. Having to combine that with writing the social environment that fostered their situation and how they processed that messaging and reacted to that messaging, how they succeeded and failed to reproduce various elements of that gender performance...it's tough to navigate those seas and not end up taking on water even if you are familiar with the experiences.

A story that placed any real focus on that would need to be an authentic read if it was to have any merit, so yeah, that's a narrative arc I'd think trans women would need to tell because others would probably get it wrong. Not out of ill intent, necessarily, but I think there's too many knowledge gaps for others to traverse, and a more general take on the experience likely wouldn't sufficiently engage with the experiences, leading to a shallower arc as a whole, and that's not really what you're looking for in the kind of story that would focus on this, since you're most likely within the realm of the 'character study' sort of material than anything else, and running shallow in that respect sort of defeats the purpose.

So yeah, I think the best outcome would be a trans woman author handling that subject material. Could someone else manage it? Possibly, with enough commitment to sensitivity writers/editors and a willingness to walk back on and rewrite whole swaths of the resulting work if it's not hitting the mark authentically.

[cantdanceflynn]

Dear Cantdanceflynn

Hi! I just watched the episode your url comes from... cool!

Also, I have a question: Is Rodney in the Deity AU? What's he up to? He's kind of a background character in the show, honestly, even though I think he's interesting enough to have shown up way more than he did.

I also just watched the episode where LOVEMUFFIN crashes that dancing show Candace and Jeremy were on... and I've gotta say, maybe it should've been Can't Dance Jeremy, since apparently he can't dance? But Ferb can. Just call him Can Dance Fletcher.

Anyways, in that episode we get the epic scene where Heinz and Rodney accidentally dance together-I think that's pretty funny, and I wish it were more of a running gag, though it doesn't seem to come up again.

The thought: "I need to rewatch the entirety of Phineas and Ferb three times?? And I'm only half-way through my first re-watch" crossed my mind just a few minutes ago. It sounds odd but I'd imagine it's a common sentiment among fanfic 'rewrites'... so, relatable moment? Let me know.

Thanks, Willow

PS: This is really long and I just noticed that. I added the letter formatting for fun. I hope you found that funny, because I did. Haha! Pretend I mailed you this and you're receiving it at the post office, twelve days later.

PPS: I wrote this entire letter and only just realized I've been doing a 'doofenshmirtz voice' for it in my head the whole time so... that's. Interesting. As opposed to 'teresting', of course... which... Isn't a word. But I'd imagine it would mean boring! Since, 'in' means not, so in-terest would be not-boring. Anyways. Have a lovely day.

OH MY GOD THIS WAS A TREAT TO WAKE UP TO TYSSSSM CSKCSJOJSOCJ I WILL 100% PRETEND THAT THATS AMAZING OH MY GOD

RODNEY IS 100 AND 10% IN THE DEITY AU, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION. I MEAN, THE MAIN ANTAGONIST OF THIS AU BARELY HAS TWO SPEAKING LINES(WHICH, FUN FACT, NERDY DANCING (THE ONE WITH LOVEMUFFIN CRASHING THE DANCE SHOW), IS THE FIRST EPISODE ALICE APPEARS IN. SHES THE BITCH W BLUE HAIR WHO GOT HIT IN THE FACE BY THE LETTER C FROM THE SIGN LOL), SO THERES NO WAY WE CAN UNDERUTILIZE HIM LOL

HES ALMOST KINDA A SUPPORT FOR ALICE, SINCE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN LOVEMUFFIN ARE WAY MORE WILLING TO DO STUFF LIKE WHAT ALICE TENDS TO SUGGEST THEN DOOF IS, SO HES KINDA THE LEADER OF A SMALLER, NEITHER DOOF NOR ALICE RLY REALIZE IT, INNER CIRCLE THAT ALMOST WORKS FOR ALICE INSTEAD OF FOR DOOF. I DONT RLY KNOW HOW ELSE TO PUT IT HES JUST BEING NORMAL DEVIOUS BUT WITH A SIDE OF "MAN THIS BITCHS IDEAS R LIKE. SCARY. I OWE HER BUT IM NOT SURE WHY" IG

AND OSFJSFOJSGOGSJGSOJSOGJGSLFSJSFOJFSOSFJFOSFJOSFJFSOSVJ TRUE IG I SIMPLY ENJOY CANDACE MORE ON A BASIS OF "GUESS WHO LITERALLY STRAIGHT DYED HER HAIR TO LOOK MORE LIKE CANDACE BC SHE RELATES TO HER *THAT MUCH*, ITS ME!" IG

AND OH YEAH LIKE. IVE REWATCHED THE SHOW A BUNCH ON ITS OWN AS IS, BUT THE DEITY AU HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST FUEL FOR REWATCHING ANYTHING IVE EVER HAD/GEN AND I ALSO HAVE PURE LOVE OF PNF SO

ALSO ABSOLUTELY LOVED LOVED LOVED THIS GENUINELY FEEL FREE TO SEND MORE "LETTERS" LOL

[seijorhi]

i’m not sure if this is an experience you can relate to, but there was a time in the 2000’s where there was this trend for authors, especially YA authors, to write or somewhat rewrite their novels in another character’s perspective. it was usually done in the pov of the dark, broody male lead because that’s what sold and it became such a craze that even if it couldn’t be the entire novel, they’d have side stories dedicated to a few povs of critical or fan-favorite moments. i ate that shit up even though i was aware that it shattered some the mystique of the romance or the tall, dark romanctic interests.

(in hindsight this is probably my origin story to my attraction to dark content as early male YA protagonists were badly written to be so overtly toxic yet somehow painted as the best option. i do love me some unhealthy relationships!)

is this a concept you’ve ever played around with or considered whether it’s an already published piece or future fic idea? it’s not a request but a curiosity. i’ve tried this and really enjoyed the ride of writing out a dark lead’s thought process and rationalizations. it’s a lot of mental gymnastics and it’s definitely an indulgent experience. even if they’re not what i ultimately end up posting, it’s something i like to go back to. some people prefer the lack of omniscient narration, some like bouncing back and forth and others prefer the simple single reader pov. all of those are great bc everyone’s writing and style is different. just wanted to pick your brain a bit, i hope this didn’t come across as too weird or random. and thank you for being such an amazing creator of impeccable content!

i love alternate pov's, and i agree whenever writers used to do that i'd gobble it up so fast. i love getting to see the inner workings of another character – especially when it's in contrast to how the scene's been set by the original work.

and that being said, with my tendency to focus on one specific character's pov (usually the reader's) i'm always keeping a part of the story back. i've toyed with the idea before – not to do a full fic, because in the same way i don't like to write follow ups, i don't wanna necessarily get stuck essentially re-hashing the same plot again and again and again, i'd rather spend time working on new ideas and pairings and stuff – aside from answering asks ofc, which i'm usually pretty happy to do!

i'm also just a tiny bit terrified of completely ruining any of my fics by adding more to them ghfjdkjghfjkd

but i'm not against the idea entirely. if i did write any more to scion, it'd be from akaashi's pov, or lightning rod with a snippet from kazutora or baji, or any of my soulmate fics from the other perspective – but if anything they'd just be drabbles cuz re-doing the whole fic is waaaaay too much work for me haha unless someone commissioned it ;))

[maxtothemax]

i was thinking about my nudge-centric rewrite idea and how i changed a lot of the plot in order to highlight her character, and it got me wondering how i'd rewrite MR with any of the others as main characters. so here's how i'd rewrite the beginning of TAE with each of the other flock members.

angel: i don't think much would change with her, since the inciting incident is already her getting kidnapped. there would just be more of her at the school i guess. tbh, a lot of the plot throughout the series already centers on angel anyway lol. she's literally got 2 of the books named after her.

gazzy: there would be more emphasis on his feelings about angel getting kidnapped. he and iggy would still be left behind, but he'd convince iggy that they should leave and go after the others. shenanigans ensue. he'd probably also play a bigger part in getting angel out of the school. (i know he sorta did in canon, but i also think it's bullshit that he and iggy didn't get caught AND max didn't even mention it, and that the whitecoats just happened to drag the others outside in time for iggy and gazzy to show up with those hawks, etc. so i'd change that whole part.)

iggy: ok i definitely need to put more thought into this one bc iggy is a very complex character, he's just not written as one. there'd be a LOT more attention on max's (and other's) ableism against him, and he'd probably have an outburst about it pretty early on—but i'm not sure if that outburst would actually make everyone stop treating him like a child, even if they say they're going to treat him more normally. he'd contemplate leaving, but also be scared to bc obviously he doesn't have anyone else, and he was never actually taught how to function as a blind person out in the world. (he's gonna get a cane. i think he should have one.)

but i think a rewrite with him would go kinda the same way as gazzy's plot-wise where they both end up going after the flock even before the erasers come back for them again, and they have their own shenanigans before reuniting with the others.

fang: plot-wise i'm not sure if much would change. emotionally, i think he'd be more pissed at max for leaving him and nudge when they're all supposed to be on a mission to save angel. he'd also be more stressed about being responsible for nudge, and probably have a heart attack when she tries to go find her parents because they're supposed to be lying low lol. he'd still outwardly act pretty stoic, but it would be super interesting to actually have him as a narrator.

nudge: i don't think i ever posted my plot ideas for hers, actually. hers has some more extreme changes and sends her on her own adventure: she gets kidnapped instead of angel, and becomes friends with some of the other experiments at the school while she's there. the flock takes a pretty long time to get to her, though, and she later finds out that it's because they were, uh, kind of procrastinating on it. (this is how i think the canon characters would act, not the fanon versions.) she gets pretty upset about it, and when she eventually escapes the school, she goes off on her own with her new experiment friends.

if i thought about it more, i could probably come up with more drastic changes for all of them that would highlight their character arcs more, but these are the kind of surface level changes i'd make (except for nudge, which i've put a lot more thought into, obviously).

[transsexualhamlet]

Owari no seraph for the ask game!

ask game

hi hi hi!!!

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most):

Guren, probably. Compared to a lot of my other fandoms I honestly give most of the characters a fair chance, I write things for nearly every main character and a lot of side characters. But yeah, Guren's just. Guren's my guy. He's the blorbo. My dear departed husband who is a fictional war criminal

Runner up blorbos would probably be Yuu and Mika, though they just don't need any more attention since they're. Yknow. The main characters and tend to be overrated and mischaracterized so much it gets annoying! But they're mine and no one else is allowed to look at them except my beloved mutuals. Stop doing it

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped):

Asuramaru. Asuramaru my baby girl. I've always considered asuramaru transfem bc of the way that their presentation goes from shorter hair and plainer clothes in backstory to a literal dress and hair longer than their entire body even tho they're technically supposed to be a guy i just. I don't care. Asuramaru what a girlboss<3 The she<3 I get so much cuteness agression from that fucking idiot I want to rumple her hair and put her in the washing machine and give her blood snacky snacks

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave):

SHINOA MY GIRL AND YOICHI MY BOY. Yoichi my BOY he is literally my main kin in owari no seraph and I. Hgmghewihg. I'm a lil embarassed about that however. I hate how the fandom treats him because he's literally the most dangerous person on the squad like no fucking contest. He's the only one who figured out manifestation on his own, he's 10 times better at handling his demon than anyone else, his emotional control is off the CHARTS, he needs so much fucking therapy, I just. Dude. Did u guys forget about the whole. The. When chapter 51. Yoichi will get his time and you're all going to regret calling him an uwu baby when he does

And shinoa. I may not relate to her as heavily as I do with some of the others, but I want to rip her from kagami's cold dead hands and give her an article on comphet and also just. A hug. A long hug. She's a kid. She's the youngest one on the squad, I think. She's been given shit from the moment she was born and she has not had one fucking moment to be herself and yet she managed to have such a hilarious badass personality. She's also the same height as me and therefore we are siblings and she is me. I love Shinoa i lllvoe shnoia

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week): oh god I have. Several of these. So #1, Aiko. This girl

You know, the girl that gets one episode in battle of nagoya and then fucking dies. I, love her, she did nothing wrong, she deserves the world and she is so pretty. I also think she and Mito are kissing btw. Girlboss x girlboss.

Also. I think I win "obscure fave" because I was so adament not to make an actual oc that my other glup shitto is. I grabbed a guy who literally had a single throwaway line- not even his line, just mentioning him, and gave him a whole character arc and backstory.

This little guy here who gave Mika a death glare. I just realized now that I looked at this again he's calling the name dai. I thought HE was Dai. Well he's Dai now, who else is gonna correct me? Him and the kid Ferid dropped (who i named florian) are heavily featured in my giant ons rewrite as GIANT plot devices, given their own arcs, and used to further the arcs of Crowley and Mika especially, and to give a current insider's perspective of Ferid's Child Trafficking Business. Dai is actually a spy for the demon army in my fic, it's... yknow, I'd better not just start rambling I never even actually wrote half of their stuff but I love them dearly.

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave):

God, both Mika and Guren fit here perfectly.

It's soooo funny how most Guren stans nowadays are some version of Mika antis, and most Mika stans nowadays are some form of Guren antis. I love them both and they're both my horrible terrible fucked up poor little meow meows. On an intellectual level both of them did SO many things wrong but also your honor. They did nothing wrong. Shoves the catastrophe behind my back. They have so many issues to work out I DESPISE them /pos but if anyone else says a SINGLE WORD against them they're catching my hands

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason):

I loooooooove torturing guren it is my absolute favorite activity I love putting him in the guren plinko over and over like beast dazai i love watching him suffer and be in pain it's so fun because he's my favorite and i love him. Also though god what I would do to make him happy

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell): Ferid. He's the reason i'm homophobic /j BUT SERIOUSLY ISTG I AM GOING TO PUNT THAT MAN INTO THE FUCKING ABYSS I LOVED WATCHING HIM BURN ON THE STAKE WHY'D THEY HAVE TO TAKE HIM OFF I LOVED WATCHING HIM GET CARRIED AROUND AS A SEVERED HEAD WHY'D HE HAVE TO GET HIS DECREPIT ASS BODY BACK

im going to create another one because I think it's funny: Blorbo-In-Law (character you know and like but aren't the expert on, however one or more friends does in fact legally own this character): Shinya. I like shinya just fine, I love shinya, but he's just not the kind of guy I can relate to nearly as much as guren and I know some of my beloved mutuals just know him so much better. But I know Shinya has a strong, dedicated fandom who is absolutely giving their lives for that man on the daily. Like. He gets NOTHING and I feel so fucking sorry for u guys lol

i WENT OFF on this one didn't i

[siswritesyanderes]

This is a series of asks bc, while I do LIKE all the charas of Fantastic Beasts individually, much of the romantic pairings dont sit well with me. By that mean the messy love polygon w Newt & I think I finally figured out why & I'd like another's opinion on it. For starters, Newt's attraction with Tina is too fast for me considering he was friends w Leta, got expelled out of Hogwarts for Leta, carried Leta's photo in his case, & basically loved her for YEARS. But this is all undone by a [1]

jaunt in NY having met a woman, who he admittedly went on a huge adventure w, over the course of maybe a few weeks. He's so taken w her she replaces Leta's photo w her own &, after refusing to go to Paris for Dumbledore, leaves immediately once he finds out she's there. I just find this unbelievable. I can rationalize it from Newt's perspective where Tina is a fresh breeze sweeping into his life on (percieved) unrequited pining, but this is my conjecture based on my understanding of Newt. [2]

The audience shouldnt be left to rationalize endgame couple of the mc on their own. & the whole thing w Leta is so messily handled I dont think they can save it even if they bring her back in FB3. How she feels for Newt vs Theseus & unresolved lingering affection, etc. She & Newt were SO important to each other & we SEE that & they dont HAVE to get together, but they need proper resolution bc they have actual history between them. God Leta in general deserved so much better. [3]

But my main gripe is that this love polygon serves no purpose to what I believe is the main selling point of FB: the world. HP having love stories makes sense bc we're following the story of a boy as he goes through adolescence & his journey through that via school is part of that, which is why the romance feels fitting. It's a very personal story. FB on the otherhand is the best peak we have at the wider wizarding world beyond school. HP introduces the world of magic, but FB rlly expands it [4]

To that end Jakob & Queenie's relationship is the only one I find myself liking, bc it's deeply tied to the world setting, the series' biggest selling point (in my opinion, should have said this earlier). It underscores the attitudes of the period & the conflict they face feels suitably substantial & not like filler. There's a moral question between them of are they worth it? And how far should they go to be together?

Imma be real hear & say FB2 was rlly Queenie's movie & they should have been ballsy & just make Queenie the mc for FB2, bc her story was actually considerably more important to the overall development of the story than Newt's, which mostly came off as a rushed & a tad clichè soap drama. & making it about Queenie I think builds more room for good conflict & independent narrative for Tina that would serve her chara better. [5? 6?]

If I bad to be REAL ballsy, I'd say my big issue w/ the relationships in the FB series & how it enhances or impedes the main story & what I believe to be it's biggest attracter (the setting) could have been solved if they made Newt's romantic interest a muggle. It attaches a deeper meaning & relevance to them & the story so it felt more deeply that they truly moved WITH the narrative rather than beside it but I guess Im just picky. Thx for putting up w this! [Final]

(My response below the cut.)

Yeah, pretty much all of this is right.

Regarding the Tina thing, it was definitely rushed, especially since there was literally nothing romantic between them in the whole first movie, except maybe the end part where they're stumbling over their words. Despite knowing how movies work and knowing that they were the male and female lead, I still found that completely out of left field, because they don't really share any interests and I didn't feel like they felt anything in particular for each other before that. She really wants to be an auror and feels really intensely about it; he just wants to travel the world and write about magical creatures and take care of them. I don't see a lot of compatibility there, and the movie didn't really do anything to reconcile that gap.

Jacob and Queenie made sense, because they actually sowed some seeds for it. It's not even about the fact that they both like to cook; they showed an interest in each other throughout. They noticeably like each other. Newt and Tina never really had that, to me, so it was bizarre for her to become his primary motivation in the second movie.

Queenie's trajectory in movie 2 overall bothers me, so while I agree it would have been better if they'd centered it more around her, I definitely think they needed to drastically rewrite pretty much everything she did. Enchanting Jacob at the beginning never sat well with me; I usually only have to say this in the Descendants fandom, but if one half of the ship is magical and the other half isn't, we can't have the magical one enchanting the non-magical one for romantic reasons without addressing what a violation of trust that is. Like, Jacob would be justified for never trusting her again, over that. Also, the fact that she apparently holds it against people if they think bad things about her is not something I would expect from someone who has been a Legilimens as long as she has, and not a detail I like, at all. Especially since it was used to give her justification to be mad at Jacob after she enchanted him in the first place. I find it sad, because Queenie was definitely my favorite character in the first movie. (Also, joining Grindelwald was a nonsensical thing to do. I can only assume she's there to spy on him or something, because it makes literally no sense.)

As for Leta, I really don't like how that was approached. First of all, I don't like how their mention of her in the first movie was "She was a taker; you need a giver," because once we actually met the character, that only made me resent Queenie for representing her that way. Leta deserved better in pretty much every way, and they definitely shouldn't have killed her off like that. I find the whole situation really iffy from a racial standpoint. The first black character to be written three-dimensionally in all of HP lore, and they make sure to preemptively tell the audience that she's a "taker", kill her in the same movie we meet her, and manage to trivialize her death by turning it into a little "Who was she saying 'I love you' to?" mystery. I like her relationship with Newt and Theseus, and I'd definitely want to see more of it.

Yes, it definitely would have been better, thematically, if they'd made the love interest a Muggle. (I'd honestly say they should've paired Newt with Jacob, but I know they're unwilling to do that. That would be kind of cool, though, to see the movie shaping up with two male characters and two female characters and have the men end up with each other and the women just live their lives as humans.)

With the story they ended up telling, though, I don't think that is needed; since Queenie is already dealing with the wizard/Muggle storyline, Newt could have a different conflict. Maybe his love interest should be a werewolf or something, to tie in the wizarding world's unresolved dislike for "half-breeds". And if he were in a relationship with someone already regarded as a creature, the wider wizarding world might take a different view to his studies and look down on him a lot more. Idk, a thought.

And then, with Leta/Theseus and Grindelwald/Dumbledore (if they were willing to actually deal with that), they'd pretty much hit every controversial beat they've got: wizard/Muggle, wizard/"half-breed", interracial, homosexual. Credence and Nagini are both creatures, kind of, but I still like them together, so their relationship doesn't have to tie into any theme; it just has to be developed way more.

On the whole, Crimes of Grindelwald felt like they skipped a movie. It feels like they needed a middle installment to make these relationships happen, instead of jumping from "Do Newt and Tina maybe have feelings for each other?" to "Newt loves Tina and Tina is possessive enough of Newt to be outwardly upset with him when she thinks he's engaged to someone else," and creating a whole relationship between Credence and Nagini that we see none of.

The fact that Queenie and Jacob were done well in the first movie gives me a fair amount of goodwill for them, but that goodwill only offers enough cushioning from the botching that movie 2 did that I'm near-indifferent to the ship, now, instead of actively opposed. I'd like to see things improved, but as it currently stands, I'd be just as happy seeing them end up not together as together. The fact that Leta's relationships with Newt and Theseus were more interesting than any of the aforementioned makes it that much more ridiculous that they killed her. What ship am I supposed to care about how? If I can't go into the next movie delusionally hoping Newt and Leta will get some moments, or enjoying the Theseus and Leta content, then I'll just be sitting there waiting for Credence and Nagini to share a screen, and who knows when that'll happen?